System and method for transmission of medical and like data from a patient to a dedicated internet website

A system for obtaining and transferring medical data from a patient into a local computer having a simple port for receiving data of a predetermined form, comprising:

• means for obtaining medical data from a patient;
• interface means for transforming said data into said predetermined form;
• and
• a connection circuit for connecting said transformed data into said simple port.

A method of transmitting data between a source of patient data and a web site available on the internet, comprising:

• providing the patient with a patient computer that has at least one simple bi-directional port, and logging on from said patient computer to a dedicated web site;
• transforming said patient data to the prescribed form for said simple port;
• and
• connecting said transformed data to the computer through said simple port;
• and
• transmitting said data from said patient computer to said website over the internet.

A method of providing for transmission of medical data from a patient to an internet web site, said method being easily carried out wherever and whenever the patient has access to a computer having at least one simple port, comprising:

• using a signal source device for obtaining medical data from the patient;
• providing a portable data transforming device for transforming the obtained medical data into a prescribed form for entry into said simple port;
• providing a dedicated web site available over the internet;
• using said computer to log onto said web site;
• transferring medical data from said signal source to said portable data transforming device, and transforming said data in said portable device;
• connecting said transformed data through said simple port;
• and
• sending said data over the internet to the dedicated web site.

A portable battery powered device for transferring data between a patient's implanted pacemaker and a computer, the computer having at least one simple port, the pacemaker having a telemetry system for sending signals containing encoded data to an external receiver, said portable device comprising:

• a receiver for receiving data signals from said pacemaker;
• decoding means for decoding data from said signals;
• transform means for transforming said data into a form adapted for entry through said simple port;
• and
• download means operable by a patient for transferring said transformed data to said port, said download means having an input/output port, whereby said data can be downloaded into a computer by said patient when said input/output port is connected to said computer simple port.